#Jose Galant. Interview with an artist

1.You were born in Barcelona, famous for its arts, do you thing that fact has affected you in any way?

Yes, it is possible that the Barcelona’s culture has influenced me, in fact, my project is heavily influenced by the late 19th century & early 20th century cultural movements as the Catalan Art Nouveau, but also the Gothic architecture.

2.Have you always been an artist or have you come to your path after some time ?

I have always been interested on all of these matter related to art, I began painting canvases and graffiti at the beginning of the nineties, and in 1993 I began studying Applied Arts and Artistic Professions at Groc School (Barcelona, Spain). Studying at this school was a very enriching experience, because allowed me the opportunity to stretch my skills across the various fields, learning various techniques, experimenting with materials, etc. A training that in one form or another has influenced my creations since that time.

But if a stage of educational training has influenced on my development as an artist, and in particular “Imaginary Destinations”, the project that I am working on right now, that will undoubtedly during the stage (2004-2006) I studied at the École Supérieure des Beaux Arts de Perpignan (France), studying with students from all over the world. I was lucky then, too, because I acquired different views and I really learned how to shape the projects, thanks to excellent teachers, and especially because it was the period I began studying 3D Computer Graphics, at the start in an autodidactic way and later studying two postgraduate degrees. In the other hand, even I have Spanish roots I don’t think that this cultural substratum inform the way I relate myself to art making, because I have always been a multicultural-minded person, I have a lot of different cultural influences that is reflected in my artworks.

3.By watching your works, I found that they are painted in very detailed way, as well as the unrealistis subjects, where do you get your inspiration from?

Although in all the virtual worlds there are common features, each developer creates her own world, with more or less it’s own personality. Therefore, in order to develop “Imaginary Destinations” with my own style, as I said earlier, heavily influenced by the late 19th century & early 20th century cultural movements as the Neo-Gothic, a style widespread in Europe during the Middle Ages, and revived between 18th and 19th centuries, and that I really like because the complex amalgam of smaller towers, dark vaults, stained glass windows, spires, etc. I also have begun to incorporate Art Nouveau and Catalan Modernism (1890-1910 approx.) elements to the scenographies, mainly from Gaudí (like small tributes), a simply brilliant architect by going further than Modernism, creating new structural methods. What appeals to me the most about Art Nouveau is the intention of creating a new art, young, free and modern.

The influence of some aspects of the Romanticism, is also reflected in my works in some way, removing the limitations of surfaces such as canvas and paper, liberating the public, giving to them the possibility to can get inside and interact in a new world, full of Imaginary Destinations, fantastic and mysterious, populated by extraordinary characters as the steam beings, where they may be freely observed, from absolute individuality and subjectivity, because it is not mandatory interact with other avatars in the virtual worlds. As a result of this combination of elements from different artistic styles, I can offer neo-surrealistic images, which, unlike the surrealistic images, these are generated as a result of a very elaborate process, without losing the control and through the use of new technologies, without losing the subjectivity with the vast array of disparate elements’s associations, and from heterogeneous outside constraints. The “sense” of these imperfect and unfinished “Imaginary Destinations” seems to have stronger links to “feel” than with “understand” each of the aesthetical experiences.

4. In your opinion what is the role of art? Your art?

It is difficult to answer the question, but in my opinion, the role of art is to answer “questions”, the best way to bring artistic discussions to life. I could in a sense say, that I focused more on the activity of creating art, rather than on a resulting finished painting. The aim of my trans-disciplinary research project, is to create a fun and innovative artistic experience, in which the audience be able to visit through the virtual reality, the places I have painted, using an universal, understanding and adaptable artistic language. In my creative process, every painting, functions as “art concepts”, in order to select one of this pictorial or digital images and transform it in a virtual world.

This personal metaphor is a resource, with which I intend to help people understand quickly and easily how I imagine the virtual reality of the future, or as I would like it to be. I’m trying to represent this imaginary virtual worlds as closely as possible than I have imagined, playing with lights and shadows, proportion, and perspective. So the idea or concept became the most important part of my artworks. I could say too, that I try to create this “art concepts” with a combination of lines, colors, and shapes in an appealing way, that it expresses or stirs emotions.

5.How do you select your works for exibitions?

So, it always depends on whether is a solo or collective exhibition, with a “theme” or not, but I’m trying always to select the best solution each time. At all events, all the artworks I’m exhibiting, are part of the project I’m working on right now, called “Imaginary Destinations”, a personal metaphor of the 3D virtual worlds, with which I intend to help people understand quickly and easily how I imagine the virtual reality of the future, or as I would like it to be.

6.Do you have a continuos exhibition where people can buy your works?

Yes, some of my artworks are permanently exhibited in Mahlstedt Gallery, New York (USA) ow.ly/rEEY305MVDf, in Paks Gallery, Blindenmarkt (Austria) ow.ly/myHo305N2aF and in GalleryOne88, New South Wales (Australia) ow.ly/JHbJ305N4xa.

7.Have you ever been to Moscow? Do you plan to?

No, I have never been in Moscow. But is a city which always has been drawn to my attention. If I have the opportunity in the near future, I would like to go and visit the city, and interesting places as the State Tretyakov Gallery, the Multimedia Art Museum and the Garage Center for Contemporary Culture.

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